Breech-loading fire-arm



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. E. WHITMORE.

BREEGH LOADING FIRE ARM. No..282,941. Patented Aug. 7, 1883.

fizz/212202"; I C: V 4% g (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. ApE. WHITMORE.

UNITED STATES PATENT -OFFICE..

BREECH-LOADl NG FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 282,941, dated August 7,1883.

Application filed May 16, 1883. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANDREW E. VVHITMORE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county ofHampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Breech-Loading Internal-Hammer Guns, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shot-guns, and to that classthereof known as break-down internal-hammer guns.

My invention consist in several novel features of construction, ashereinafter set forth.

One feature of my invention consists inimproved devices for cooking thehammer by swinging the barrel, and to permit of connecting the fore endto the latter without causing the hammer to be cooked.

A second feature of my invention consists in improvements in the mannerof hanging the mainspring, whereby the latter is entirely supported onthe hammer and its pivot, and is prevented from interfering with thefree action of the hammer by any frictional contact with the frame orother part of the arm.

A third feature of my invention consists in means adapted to beautomatically interposed between the hammer and the end of the cartridgeto prevent the hammer from accidentally striking the latter, and forkeeping the hammer-chamber clean, and in improved means for guarding thesear against untimely action by the trigger, and for operating thesearguard.

A fourth feature of my invention consists in improved means foroperating the extractor and for adjusting its motion.

A fifth feature of my invention consists in improved means for causingthe barrel to be drawn closely against the recoil-block when the gun isin a position to be fired.

A sixth feature of my invention consists in improved means for adjustingthe bearingsurfaces of the rear edge of the fore-end lug and thefore'end, and for securing the fore end up against the barrel.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure I is a sideelevation, partly in section, of a gun in a partly-opened positionconstructed according to my invention. Fig. II is a similar view to Fig.I, but showing the gun closed. Fig. III is aview, partly in section, ofthat part of the gun at and just forward of the breech of the barrel,showing the extractor mechanism as it appears when the gun is closed.Fig. IV is a similar view to Fig. 3, but showing the position of the extractor parts when the gunis open. Figs. V, VI, V II, andVIII illustratedetail parts.

The parts of the arm generally shown in the drawings are those adaptedto operate with one of two barrels, those for a second barrel, ofcourse, being, where necessity requires it, duplicates of those shown inconnection with one.

The general construction of the frame of the arm, adapting it to havethe barrel pivoted to it to be swung thereon in the usual way and belocked thereto, is of the ordinary description.

In the drawings, 1) is the cocking-lever pivoted in the frame of thearm, under the rear part of the barrel, its forward end reaching outunder a bearing-block,annovably attached to the fore end, 9, near therear end of the latter. Ordinarily the said bearing-block e011- sists ofafixed stud rigidly attached to the forearm in such a position that whenthe muzzle of the barrel is depressed sufficiently the lever b is madeto vibrate and cock the hammer. When, however, it becomes necessary tode tach and reattach the fore end to the arm, said rigidly-fixed stud,when the fore end is held about in the position shown in Fig. V to placeit under the arm,bears so hard on lever b as to swing it and cook thehammer when it is not the wish of the operator to do so. To obviate thisinconvenience I loosely attach the bearingbloek a to the fore end insuch a way that it will slide up when it encounters the end of lever 11in the act of putting on the fore end and not swing the latter; but whenthe fore end is brought up against the under side of the barrel saidblock will be crowded far enough through the fore end to cause it toproperly act on lever b when the barrel is vibrated, as shown in Fig. I.The block a is shown in elevation in Fig. VIII. It has an elongated holethrough it, and is secured in the fore end by a pin or screw, whichpasses through said 1101c, as shown. In this construction the rear endof lever b is not attached to the hannner diit the slide 20 is movedforward,

of the fore end, and its short arm, when the rectly, as is usually done,and the cost of the lever and its hammer-connection is much reduced; butthe lever is arranged to bear directly on the mainspring, as shown.

The hammer d is hung upon a pivot-screw, as is usual, and is providedwith aspring-step H forward of the latter to hold the end of the lowerarm of the mainspring. The upper arm of said spring is held by astirrup, c, which is G hung on the hammer-pivot. Thus the mainspring isentirely supported upon the hammer and its pivot, and is not suffered tohave any bearing upon any other part of the arm, whereby any frictionalresistance to its free working may result. Furthermore, this manner ofassembling the parts facilitates the labor of putting up the guns.

To provide additional safeguards against premature action of the hammer,besides those often attached to the trigger or sear in guns of thisclass, and to conduce to keeping smoke and dust from entering thehammer-chamber, Ihangthe hammer-guard e in the latter. This guard isadapted to have its forward endd'rop 1 down and cover the firing-pinhole, so that-theend of the hammer cannot pass therethrough and strikethe cartridge, as shown in Fig. I, f and is adapted to be swung toanother position, as in Fig. II, when the gun is to be fired. An arm onthe guard e hangs down back of the hammer d, so that when the latter iscocked the guard, by the action of the hammer in: striking said arm isthrown down 'to'coverthe firing-pin hole. To accomplish this action the1 hammer is swung slightly more than is required to let the sear engagein its notch, as in Fig. I. p

A guard-lever, o, is hung back'of the guardarm, whose lower end engageswith a sliding: sear-guard, m. The latter is operated by a slide-block,'10, located on the top of the breech, which engages with a lever, 12,the latter in} turn engaging with said guard m. A spring, w, serves toretain slide win a forward or rearward position. The sear-guard is, bymoving slide 10 backward, carried over theend-of the sear n, preventingthe latter from 'being'operated by the trigger z to release the hammer.

WVhen the gun is to be loaded, slide 20 is moved backward, as in Fig I,thereby sliding guard m over the sear n, and swi'ngingthe upper-arm-oflever 0 back to let the arm 011 the hammer-guard swing, when the hammer,-Joy the action of lever band the swinging of the. barrel, is cooked andthrows the guard e'do'wn. The gun having been loaded the barrel is swungup and locked, and previous to firing bringing the parts to thepositions shown in Fig. II.

The cartridge-extractingdevices in this arm are operated by the circularlever 8 acting against the end of the extractor stem 4, incombinationwith the pin 2, set in the end of the frame. The lever 3 is hung near'the'rear end barrel is tipped, as in Fig. IV, strikes the head of saidvpin, causing it to swing on its pivot. The pin 2 constitutesabearing-point for the lever 3 to strike, which is easily made to engagetherewith, near its pivot, and increase its rotary motion and draw theshells more nearly out of the gun.

To cause the barrel to be drawn closely against the recoil-block whenthe gun is to be fired, I provide an adjustable wedge, 5, in the frame,with the end of which a hook, 15, on the barrel engages, and whereby,when the end of the latter is forced down, the barrel will, as much aspossible, be drawn rearward, causing the heads of the shells or shelltherein to come closely against the recoil-plate. The wedge 5 isadjustable by a screw, 6, and is secured in place by a screw, 7.

To provide means for causing the fore end i always to have a closebearing on the rear edge of the stud 8 on the barrel, (see Fig. '6,) sothat any wear may be taken up and the fore end be crowded backward, Iinsert in the fore end, just back of its stud-opening, the screw 10,which may be adjusted so as to always have a firm bearing on said stud,for the purpose stated.

For fastening the fore end to the stud 8, and to'eenveniently peratesaid fastening, I prov-ide a bolt, 13, in the fore end to engage in anotch in the stud 8. Said'bolt is capableof a longitudinal motion, andis made to engage with one arm of a species of bell-crank lever, 12, andthe opposite arm-of the latter engages with the forked end of a lever,11, capable of being-operated from the outside of the fore end to drawback said bolt. A spring is-placed under lever 11 to throw-bolt 13against stud'S.

What I'claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with the fore-end,9, of the arm and the cocking-lever I), pivoted in the frame thereofunderthe mainspring of the "bearing-block a, loosely hung in said foreend over theouter end of said lever, substantially as set forth. r

-2. In combination, the mains'pring'and the hammer d, the cocking-leverb, pivoted in the frame of the arm under the mainspring, one endof whichis adapted to bear upon the flat part of said spring forward of thehammer,and the bearing-block a, adapted to swing with'the ba'rreland tobear upon the outer end of said lever, substantially as set forth.

3. In'combination, the internal-hammer, (I, hung within the frame of thearm, having a support thereon one side of its pivot-pin,with which thelower arm of the mainspring engages, the stirrup a, hung upon thehammerpivot and adapted to have the "upper arm of the mainspring engagetherewith, and the mainspring, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination, the hammer d, hung within theframe of the arm, thehammer-guard "e, pivoted also within'said frame over the hammer andadapted to have'one end thereof swing between the hammer and thefiring-pin hole at the rear of the barrel, and having an arm thereon toengage with the hammer when the latter is cooked, substantially as setforth.

5. The combination, with the hammer-guard 6, having an arm extendingbehind the hammer, of the lever 0, pivoted in the frame of the arm andadapted to have one arm thereof strike said arm on the guard e, thesear-guard m, adapted to engage with the second arm of lever 0, thelever 1 and the slide 10, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination, the extractor-stem 4, loeated under the barrel andadapted to have a movement in a line therewith, the circular lever 3,pivoted in the. fore end, 9, and the pin 2, fixed in the frame in therear of thelower arm of said lever, substantially as set forth.

7. In combination with the swinging barrel of a breech-loading gunhaving the hook 15 on its rear end, the wedge 5, located in the frame ofthe arm in the rear of the barrel, adapted to have said hook engagetherewith, and adjustable in a line across the bore of the barrel,substantially as set forth.

8. The eombination,with the stud 8,secu'red beneath the barrel, and thefore end perforated to let said stud enter it, of the bearing-screw 10,located at one end of said perforation and adapted to have a bearingagainst the rear edge of said stud, substantially as set forth.

9. In combination, the studS, secured beneath the barrel and having abolt-notch 011 its forward edge, the fore end, 9, perforated to let saidstud enter it, the bolt 18, located in the fore end and adapted toengage: withlsaid stud, the belLcrank lever 12, having one arm engagingwith said bolt, the lever 11, having a forked end with which the otherarm of le-.

ver 12 engages, and a spring to operate lever 11, substantially as setforth.

A. E. XYHITMORE.

Vi tnesses:

HENRY A. CHAPIN, L. L. DENNISON.

